The increased use of computers in many aspects of photography offers a pathway to deliver a higher level of service for consumers. Many consumers often prefer to capture pictures with conventional film-to-print photo systems, while others prefer movie cameras, camcorders or modern digital cameras. New modes of utilizing images are becoming increasingly popular with varying forms of communication. Common utilization modes include distributing e-mail with images and related audio on the World Wide Web, sharing images by electronic display (television), manipulating images electronically, and archiving images for subsequent retrieval.
The image applications described above typically require a consumer to expend substantial time to ensure proper processing of the images. However, many consumers often lack the time to fully explore and take advantage of the various image utilization opportunities available. Thus, in spite of new options for processing images, consumers may not get involved with such opportunities. A more automated means of processing consumer images is highly desirable to relieve the time burden associated with image utilization and management.
Several proposals for photo systems including media integral with the film for data recording have been disclosed, necessitating advanced photofinishing techniques. One proposal, by Bell et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,472 describes film having an integral magnetic layer for storing additional data such as audio. The data is read magnetically during photofinishing and written to each print for subsequent playback when prints are viewed.
Similar proposals to the Bell photo system described above are disclosed by Stoneham (U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,158), Cocca (U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,157), Norris (U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,663), and Hawkins et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,989). These patents describe cameras that record conventional images as well as audio data. The cameras generally contain an optical recording module that enables data, such as audio, to be written as a latent image onto the film. This is in addition to the normal capture of conventional images formed from ambient light passing through the camera's lens. The optical recording module typically includes a column of LED's to expose digital data onto the film. The audio is recorded immediately adjacent to each image captured, or buffered and written to the film following all image captures.
In one advanced photofinishing technique for processing APS film, an APS camera may utilize APS IX magnetic data tracks to detect when audio data has been captured. This provides a photofinisher with audio to image correlation information at processing. However, solutions to enable a photofinisher to process and manage film having images plus data, such as audio data, have not yet been adequately described.
Photo systems that integrate audio data separate from the film have also been proposed. Such a two media system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,700 to Inoue. This photo system includes a camera utilizing both film and a memory card. The film captures images while the memory card records audio data. In practice, the two mediums are maintained in the possession of the photographer who must avoid mixing audio with the wrong images. Photofinishing for this photo system comprises conventional methods.
Following photofinishing, the prints are returned to the customer, who then inserts the finished prints and the data memory card into a special playback device to view the print while hearing its audio. Thus, for this approach, no advanced photofinishing services are enabled or required. Therefore, the need exists for a photofinishing system and method for managing and sequencing the audio data that is integrated with the images on the same storage media. This is the case for images and audio jointly recorded on film and for transmitted data streams of digital images with audio from digital image sources. Further, the need exists for a photofinishing system and method for managing and sequencing groups of orders for photofinishing services that result in an integrated image and audio product. The system and method of the present invention satisfies these needs.